Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi has hailed Phoenix residents who protected businesses, homes, and their neighbours as heroes, but slammed racist vigilantes.

He was speaking as the party took its campaign to the predominately Indian area on Monday after the Democratic Alliance (DA) last week came under fire for racist posters that appeared to pander to Indian voters.

"There is a debate raging in Phoenix right now about heroes and racists. It's a debate that seeks to divide and that uses scare tactics and hatred to pit South Africans against one another," he said.

Buthelezi said he knew propaganda was involved in smearing the entire populace of the area as racist, "I myself became a victim of propaganda on social media when I publicly praised the community of Phoenix for standing against lawlessness and destruction. Hand in hand with senior IFP leaders, you were doing here what I was doing with IFP leaders in my own community in Ulundi."

He said many were, "... protecting homes and protecting businesses".

"You were staying up through the night, patrolling the streets and ensuring that looters did not run rampant. All of this was being done in close cooperation with law enforcement, and within the bounds of the law. I thanked you then, and I thank you now, because I know that countless citizens stood up for law and order."

Buthelezi said that many in Phoenix protected their livelihoods and lives were saved, but that others simply broke the law.

"But days later, when a few vigilantes began acting outside the law and lives began to be lost, someone took the clip of me thanking you and placed it on Facebook above the image of chaos in the streets of Phoenix.

"Above the image of a body lying in the street, was me applauding the Indian community. It was made to look as though I supported vigilantism; and the floodgates of hatred opened against me. Hundreds of social media posts wished a slow and painful death on Buthelezi."

People questioned if I was racist

Buthelezi said all manner of expletives and insults were hurled at him as people questioned if he was racist during the unrest.

"But it [propaganda against Buthelezi] was all manufactured. It was all lies. It was intended not only to damage my reputation, but to spark greater hatred between Indians and blacks, because I am known as a Zulu Indian.

"I refused to take the bait. The most important task was to restore peace between our people, to restore unity and social cohesion. I therefore went on live television and spoke against acts of violence from all quarters. I knew how quickly violence descends into retaliatory attacks and bloodshed. I called on everyone to act within the law, and to desist from vigilantism."

He said he pointed out that there were far more people trying to build the country than trying to tear it down.

"These people, the builders and the patriots, should not be forgotten. Heroes are not people who take the law into their own hands. Real heroes unite communities. Real heroes restore peace. And within the communities of Phoenix, KwaMashu, Chatsworth, Bambhai and elsewhere, there are millions of real heroes."

The DA put up posters which read: "The ANC called you racists," and "The DA calls you heroes", referring to racial tension in Phoenix which surfaced during the civil unrest in July, and which left many people dead.

While the party leader, John Steenhuisen initially defended the posters, he later blamed KwaZulu-Natal DA chairperson Dean Macpherson for the incident, saying that he acted without the party leaderships knowledge.